Tornados fall to Lions on Saturday afternoon, 3-0

Brevard, N.C. - Jamie Atkinson led the Tornados with 11 kills on Saturday afternoon and Jordei Osby added six total blocks, but Marissa Wixson had 14 kills for the visiting Lions as Brevard fell to Mars Hill in South Atlantic Conference action, 26-24, 25-19, 25-15.

Brevard (2-5, 0-3 SAC) hit 20.0 percent as a team in the contest led by Atkinson’s effort, while Osby added seven kills and freshman Kortney Conner had six. Bethany Stevenson set up the BC attack with 30 set assists, while Lindsey Rogers and Sydney Yeomans added service aces in the match.

Defensively, Rebecca Schoonover led the Tornados backline with 13 digs in the match, while Rogers and Conner each contributed six to the effort. At the net, Osby’s six blocks (three solo, three assist) were a match high, while Stevenson and Atkinson each added a pair.

Evie Tafunai had seven kills and Laura Ann Huskey and Jenna Luke had six kills apiece to pace the Mars Hill (4-2, 1-2 SAC) attack. Sarah Paquette led the team with 33 set assists, while the Lions recorded eight service aces as a team in the match.

Maggie Murphy led the Lions and all players with a match-high 16 digs, while Wixson and Huskey each recorded blocks in the match.

Mars Hill took an early lead in the first set off of Kelsi Flora’s serve, going up 12-6 before a kill by Morrison halted the Lions surge. The Tornados followed the kill with a run of their own, tying the score up at 17 following a kill by Atkinson. Late in the set, Mars Hill had set point at 24-21 following a Wixson kill, but the Tornados rallied back again, tying the set up by scoring three straight points capped by a block by Atkinson and Erin Rollins, but back-to-back kills by Wixson and Huskey closed out the set in favor of the Lions.

The second game was back and forth through the first 20 points as the teams were tied at 10 after a kill by BC’s Joy Oswalt and a service ace by Lindsey Rogers. Mars Hill responded with a 6-0 run beginning with a kill by Tafunai to give the Lions a 16-10 lead. Brevard again rallied back late as Atkinson recorded back-to-back kills and Conner chipped in a point, but Luke closed out the set to put the Lions up 2-0 with the 25-19 set victory.

Brevard came out in the third set with the early lead, going up 8-6 as Rollins placed in a kill with the assist from Stevenson. Mars Hill rallied back to tie it up and take the lead on a pair of service aces by Paquette at 13-11. A kill by Atkinson slowed the surge, but a service error by the Tornados, one of 11 on the day, gave the serve back to Mars Hill and the Lions closed out the set on an 11-3 run.

The Tornados are back in action next Friday as they make the trip to Anderson, S.C. to take on SAC opponent Anderson University. First serve between the Tornados and Trojans is set for 6:30 p.m.